The talk with present the key results of the IPCC Working Group III 5th assessment report. Concluding four years of intense scientific collaboration by hundreds of authors from around the world, the report responds to the request of the world's governments for a comprehensive, objective and policy neutral assessment of the current scientific knowledge on mitigating climate change. The report has been extensively reviewed by experts and governments to ensure quality and comprehensiveness.

Climate change 2014 - Mitigation of climate change

Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in soils plays an important role in the biogeochemistry of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, in pedogenesis, and in the transport of pollutants in soils. The aim of this review is to summarize the recent literature about controls on DOM concentrations and fluxes in soi

Controls on the dynamics of dissolved organic matter in soils: a review.

Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain recent, widespread increases in concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the surface waters of glaciated landscapes across eastern North America and northern and central Europe. Some invoke anthropogenic forcing through mechanisms related to climate change, nitrogen deposition or changes in land use, and by implication suggest that current concentrations and fluxes are without precedent. All of these hypotheses imply that DOC levels will continue to rise, with unpredictable consequences for the global carbon cycle. Alternatively, it has been proposed that DOC concentrations are returning toward pre-industrial levels as a result of a gradual decline in the sulphate content of atmospheric deposition. Here we show, through the assessment of time series data from 522 remote lakes and streams in North America and northern Europe, that rising trends in DOC between 1990 and 2004 can be concisely explained by a simple model based solely on changes in deposition chemistry and catchment acid-sensitivity. We demonstrate that DOC concentrations have increased in proportion to the rates at which atmospherically deposited anthropogenic sulphur and sea salt have declined. We conclude that acid deposition to these ecosystems has been partially buffered by changes in organic acidity and that the rise in DOC is integral to recovery from acidification. Over recent decades, deposition-driven increases in organic matter solubility may have increased the export of DOC to the oceans, a potentially important component of regional carbon balances. The increase in DOC concentrations in these regions appears unrelated to other climatic factors.

Dissolved organic carbon trends resulting from changes in atmospheric deposition chemistry.

A positive temperature coefficient is the term which has been used to indicate that an increase in solubility occurs as the temperature is raised, whereas a negative coefficient indicates a decrease in solubility with rise in temperature.

Effect of Temperature

Surface mining in the central Appalachian coalfields (USA) influences water quality because the interaction of infiltrated waters and O with freshly exposed mine spoils releases elevated levels of total dissolved solids (TDS) to streams. Modeling and predicting the short- and long-term TDS release potentials of mine spoils can aid in the management of current and future mining-influenced watersheds and landscapes. In this study, the specific conductance (SC, a proxy variable for TDS) patterns of 39 mine spoils during a sequence of 40 leaching events were modeled using a five-parameter nonlinear regression. Estimated parameter values were compared to six rapid spoil assessment techniques (RSATs) to assess predictive relationships between model parameters and RSATs. Spoil leachates reached maximum values, 1108 ± 161 μS cm on average, within the first three leaching events, then declined exponentially to a breakpoint at the 16th leaching event on average. After the breakpoint, SC release remained linear, with most spoil samples exhibiting declines in SC release with successive leaching events. The SC asymptote averaged 276 ± 25 μS cm. Only three samples had SCs >500 μS cm at the end of the 40 leaching events. Model parameters varied with mine spoil rock and weathering type, and RSATs were predictive of four model parameters. Unweathered samples released higher SCs throughout the leaching period relative to weathered samples, and rock type influenced the rate of SC release. The RSATs for SC, total S, and neutralization potential may best predict certain phases of mine spoil TDS release.

Modeling Patterns of Total Dissolved Solids Release from Central Appalachia, USA, Mine Spoils

The Appalachian coalfield occurs within the eastern United States (US). This mountainous landscape is formed from natural dissection of sedimentary geologic strata with interbedded seams of coal and serves as headwaters for multiple rivers. The region’s natural ecosystems, with a primary vegetation of mostly deciduous forest, are among the non-tropical world’s most biodiverse. After first humans arrived more than 10,000 years ago, the first Europeans came to Appalachia as fur trappers and traders; agriculturalists and merchants came soon after. The region’s diverse forests and rich mineral resources supported economic development as settlements expanded and populations grew. Coal mining began in the mid-1700s to supply commercial and residential users. Large-scale timber harvesting and coal mining stimulated railroad expansion in the mid-1800s, which improved transportation linkages to more populated areas and further increased coal demand. The American nation’s industrial development increased usage of iron and steel, further expanding coal demands. Coal was essential to American electrification during the twentieth century. With numerous and thick coal seams accessible by both surface and underground mines, Appalachia was the US’s primary coal-producing region from the 1800s through the 1970s. Appalachian coal mining has influenced the region’s landscapes, forests, water, and people over more than two centuries.

https://www.fs.fed.us/nrs/pubs/jrnl/2021/nrs_2021_zipper_001.pdf

The Appalachian Coalfield in Historical Context

Character analysis of mining disturbance and reclamation trajectory in surface coal-mine area by time-series NDVI.

Planting Hardwood Tree Seedlings on Reclaimed Mine Land in Appalachia

Enhancing Wildlife Habitat on Reclaimed Mine Lands Amy L. Carrozzino, Research Associate, Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech Dean F. Stauffer, Professor, Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech Carola A. Haas, Associate Professor, Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech C. E. Zipper, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech P o w e l l R i v e R P R o j e c t

Carl E. Zipper

Papers

Modeling Patterns of Total Dissolved Solids Release from Central Appalachia, USA, Mine Spoils

The Appalachian Coalfield in Historical Context

Character analysis of mining disturbance and reclamation trajectory in surface coal-mine area by time-series NDVI.

Planting Hardwood Tree Seedlings on Reclaimed Mine Land in Appalachia

Enhancing Wildlife Habitat on Reclaimed Mine Lands